Sometimes a change is needed. That is what Ravenna Sip and Social co-owner and Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce Board Member Rich Wolford did with his store, previously called Ravenna Nutrition, and launched a rebrand in late June to transform his health food store to appeal to a broader customer base.
“The overall cost of the business went up in increments with the product we were using so we could not see ourselves putting 19.3% on the customer so we were eating every single one of those costs as a family,” he told The Weekly Villager on July 18. “It is tough for middle-class people in general to come in every single day and be like, ‘Hey you know what, I am going to purchase a $9 drink ,’so we were able to lower the costs.”
Wolford originally purchased the business last year and he and his wife, Ashley, saw their costs consistently increase, which made their business model unsustainable. According to Wolford, in addition to having higher costs, it was becoming more difficult to also make donations to different organizations.
“As the price started going up, the list started tapering back and that is what hurt me because when I took over the business, I wanted to be able to help,” he noted.
After another increase of costs took place in January, Wolford and his family decided to do some research on what a rebrand would look like. They experimented with different flavors and ultimately closed the store down for a week at the end of June before relaunching as Ravenna Sip and Social. The previous store sold protein shakes, high-energy teas and protein balls but are now selling fruit smoothies, pastries and subs in addition to the shakes and teas.
“We had different types of shakes, we went through seven different types of energizing drinks, we tried four different bakes and we went with three different sub people,” he said. “That is stuff we experimented with by putting our own money into it, knowing we were not getting that return back while running a business at the same time.”
Wolford said that although there was a market for protein shakes and teas, it was a narrow market and even the most health-conscious customers would want to reward themselves every now and again. So far, the reaction from the Ravenna community has been positive.
He added that the store plans to partner with Door Dash in the next few weeks, which was not an option that Ravenna Nutrition had because the company they previously worked with prohibited them from being a viable option on Door Dash.
Wolford said that what makes the new business model sustainable is some of the new products, called Lotus Plant Power, which are biotics that are healthy for the stomach, immune system and anxiety.
He and his wife were frequent customers of Ravenna Nutrition, which originally opened in the summer of 2020. They developed a friendship with the previous owners and when they offered to sell the business to Wolford’s family, it was an instant yes.
Although he and his wife were unfamiliar with running a health-focused food business, Wolford said that they had been observant of the what the previous owners dealt with.
Wolford, his wife and their four children each have a significant role in the business as each of his children have worked in the store and know how to operate the cash register and deal with customers.
Wolford, a 2007 Ravenna graduate, has stayed in the community throughout his life. He has worked several jobs in Portage County but was familiar with the responsibility of owning his own business, having operated a lawn-mowing business from the age of 13.
“By the time I was 15½-years-old, I had 25-30 different lawns and a lot of mobile homes to take care of not including my parents’ either,” he said.
That experience gave him a taste of what the entrepreneurship aspect of business was like and he enjoyed that feeling.
He competed in basketball and baseball and continued remaining connected to Ravenna athletics, having served as a youth coach for 13 years. His experience in coaching children from ages of 4-15 have served him well when hiring new staff.
“I have had the pleasure of being able to have young men come behind the counter that have been on my teams and teach them how to follow directions and how to make things, make their own drinks which is really rewarding also and then customer-service which in the new world with what we live in is kind of lacking,” he said.
Wolford said that he hopes that the business continues growing and he can then consider expanding by opening a second location in Ravenna.
